Poet Nikita Gill has released a new verse novel, 'Hekate the Witch', which reimagines the life of the ancient Greek goddess of magic and the underworld. The book presents Hekate not as a sinister figure, but as a traumatised young deity seeking love and belonging.
In Gill's retelling, Hekate is born during a war between the Titans and the Olympians. She and her mother, Asteria, flee when Zeus and Poseidon attempt to enslave them. Hekate finds refuge in the Underworld, where she is cared for by Styx and Hades, and briefly meets her father, Perses, who predicts a future where the dead bow to her.
Gill, known for her women-centric retellings of myths, portrays Hekate as a character whose divine powers alarm the Olympian gods. The narrative explores themes of trauma, identity, and the search for home, offering a fresh perspective on a figure often associated with witchcraft and necromancy.
